101 Reasons to Work Out

I used to be so hard core about going to the gym.  I was there, rain or shine.  I had to remind myself to take a rest day after realizing that I had worked out for 14 days straight. Working out was embedded into my schedule and my soul.

Oh how things have changed.

Granted, I wasn’t at my healthiest (just my skinniest) when working out was such a high priority.  It’s just not healthy to become a recluse or cancel plans with friends (repeatedly) so you can work out every. single. day. of. the. week.

My mindset is healthier now.  I’m definitely less obsessive about it.  But sometimes, I drift to the other side.  Even though I work out pretty consistently 4-6 times a week, I’m not as gung-ho about working out as I used to be.  I’m pretty darn talented at finding reason after reason to NOT workout.  I am the queen of working out excuses, let me tell ya.

It seems like for every one reason I can think of to workout, I can think of five more reasons not to work out.

EVERYONE needs a little inspiration now and then.

My favorite time suck, the Internet, has a wealth of information to inspire you to work out.  To help encourage me to stick with my fitness goals, I created a list — a list of reasons to work out.  Jay had 99 problems.  Well I have 101 reasons.

Here are my 101 reasons to workout…

compiled from various sources, for my own selfish purposes, but for your use as well.

  1. …to battle depression
  2. …to feel sexy
  3. …to stay healthy
  4. …for the kids
  5. …to achieve new goals
  6. …to feel happier
  7. …to build stamina
  8. ...to have you cake and eat it too
  9. …because of swimsuit season
  10. …because some jerks expects you to quit
  11. …to get strong
  12. …to feel good about yourself
  13. …to feel good when you run into old friends
  14. …to succeed in life
  15. …to have the dream life
  16. …going to the gym is fun
  17. …because of the opposite sex
  18. …to increase testosterone, which gives you energy and stamina
  19. …to increase clarity and concentration
  20. …for reflection
  21. …for enjoyment
  22. …for cleansing
  23. …for better sleep
  24. …for longer life
  25. …to relieve stress
  26. …for superior strength and endurance
  27. …for self confidence
  28. …to keep excess pounds at bay
  29. …to increase your stamina
  30. …to ward off viral illness
  31. …to manage chronic conditions
  32. …to strengthen your heart
  33. …to keep your arteries clear
  34. …to reverse the detrimental effects of stress
  35. …to improve learning
  36. …to build self-esteem and improve body image 
  37. …for that euphoric feeling
  38. …to reduce the risk of disease
  39. …to relieve tension headaches
  40. …to reduce risk of heart disease
  41. …to control blood pressure
  42. …to help you to relax
  43. …to reduce anxiety
  44. …to overcome jet lag
  45. …to boost creativity
  46. …to lower your resting heart rate
  47. …to increase your anaerobic threshold
  48. …to preserve lean body tissue
  49. ..for more energy to meet the demands of your life
  50. …to improve posture
  51. …to maintain your resting metabolic rate
  52. …to increase your ability to adapt to cold environments
  53. …to improve mental alertness
  54. …to burn excess calories
  55. …to improve mental cognition
  56. …to improve flexibility
  57. …to decrease your appetite
  58. …to improve your balance and coordination
  59. …to improve your body’s ability to use fat for energy
  60. …to improve your decision making abilities
  61. …to make you heart more efficient
  62. …to improve your mood
  63. …reduces the risk of endometriosis
  64. …to increase your level of health awareness
  65. …to reduce your level of abdominal obesity
  66. …to improve your overal quality of life
  67. …to feel good in your clothes
  68. …to improve sex life
  69. …to help you look younger
  70. …increases motivation
  71. …to tone the back of the arms
  72. …for therapeutic benefits
  73. …to make your hair shinier and healthier
  74. …to help you be more content with yourself
  75. …to increase strength in legs
  76. …to deal with life’s problems more effectively
  77. …to encourage you to eat healthy foods
  78. …to keep skin clear
  79. …to reduce body fat in hips
  80. …to give your face a healthy glow
  81. …to ease period cramps
  82. …to become more socially interactive
  83. …to lift and firm buttocks
  84. …to dramatically improve your body shape
  85. …to tone inner thighs
  86. …to improve discipline
  87. …to help you look and feel ten times better
  88. …to prevent vericose veins
  89. …to spend quality time with your family/friends
  90. …to help you cope better with child birth
  91. …to combat fatigue
  92. …for the sense of accomplishment
  93. …because getting undressed is more fun with you’re in shape
  94. …because shopping for clothes is more fun when you regularly exercise
  95. …to increase mindfulness of what you eat
  96. …for a sense of empowerment
  97. …so you can eat more of the things you love
  98. …so you can be proud of the choices you’ve made for your health
  99. …to stay limber longer
  100. …to meet your fitness goals
  101. …because working out is fun

So the next time I (or you) mull over reason after reason to not workout, I’ll simply pick out the reason(s) that resonate most with me and get my butt to the gym (barring all the reasons that you should

And I’m going to need it, now that I’ve embarked on The New Rules of Weightlifting for Women, which at minimum is a 6 month training.

The plan intends for you to do three weightlifting sessions a week and also includes a dietary plan, that I plan to use as a guideline, not as a hard rule.  The first month (Stage 1) doesn’t want me to really change my eating.  So besides avoiding added sugar for my month long sugar detox, I won’t be changing it up much.

So far, I have completed a week and I’m feeling pretty good about it.  I’ve learned that I really need to work out in the morning, else it’s just not going to happen.  Coming to terms with this has made me more successful this week with my workouts.

I’m still debating in my head whether I want to post progress photos and measurements.  I’m not really into weighing myself right now, so that’s not even an option.  But measurements, in my opinion, are the best ways to tell if you’re making progress and changing your body.

Of course, if you guys really want me to post this stuff, you know I’m a sucker for giving readers what they want.  Just ask.

What’s your reason(s) for working out?